The Book Of Life: Clarissa's Tale
by TheOcean'sMage12
Summary: Clarissa Lopez is best friends with Maria, Joaquin and Manolo. Her life plan is to be a famous story teller and one day, win the heart of Joaquin. But, challenges get in the way of that. *The Book Of Life movie with my OC.*
1. Chapter 1

_Prologue_

The night sky was a deep dark navy blue and was scattered with stars. Like someone had taken a big blue blanket and splattered it with white plaint. The stars had always fascinated Clarissa, even though she was a small child. The way they just seem to sparkle made Clarissa feel as if she was never alone. But tonight, November 2, the stars just seem to sparkle a little more. Like all of San Angel's ancestors' spirits made them so. The little girl's small brown pigtails bounced in the wind as she ran to her three best friends, who stood on the bridge. Two little boys, one with very dark brown hair with a swirl in the front, the guitar he always carried around on his back. The other one had lighter brown hair then the first boy, and a fake paper mustache was stuck to his upper lip. The final friend, was a girl, with the same coloured hair as Clarissa, also in pigtails, but had deep brown eyes. Not like Clarissa's ocean blue ones. Each one of the friends had a fake wooden sword in hand.

"No retreat?!" The fake mustached boy asked, out loud.

"NO SURRENDER!" The other three declared.

'The Four Amigos' as they called themselves, rose their swords in they air, before running to the town, to celebrate with their families. What you may ask? Why, The Day Of The Dead, of course.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: I don't own The Book Of Life! I'm just a crazy fan!_**

The four children were sitting in a clearing, right next to the graveyard, where most of San Angel's people were. The people brought food, drinks and candles to the graves of their loved ones who had past away. The Remembered, as people called them. You see, as long as the dead were remembered by their loved ones who lived, they too were alive, for they went to a land of eternal fiesta. But other graves were empty. No food or candles were on them. Those were the graves of The Forgotten. Poor souls who had no one to remember them. They went to a place of eternal misery. But, back to our four children. Joaquin, the fake mustached boy, was no where to be seen. Knowing Joaquin, he was probably hiding behind a tree, preparing to jump out and declaring to protect Maria. Joaquin was strong and kind of egotistic and he loved to flaunt his fighting skills (that weren't very good) to his friends. But this didn't stop Clarissa from having a small crush on the boy. Maria, the girl, was sitting on a rock nearby Clarissa. Maria was a very wild, energetic and courageous. But she was calm at the moment and Clarissa barely saw her like this, so she decided to embrace the moment. Manolo, the guitar boy, was strumming at his little guitar, trying to impress Maria, the little girl. Manolo was a kind and gentle boy, who had a very obvious crush on Maria. Well, very obvious to Clarissa, the little matchmaker that she was. Plus, it helped that she and Manolo were close friends. But still, things like love just came so easy to her. But, instead of making a comment, Clarissa indulged back into her writing. You see, Clarissa loved to write stories, most of them being about her and her friends when they got older. She was the smart one, Joaquin was always the hero, Manolo was the guitar-playing sidekick and Maria was the awesome sword fighting leading lady, who Manolo and Joaquin constantly fought over. Because even in reality, that actually happened. Manolo and Joaquin both wanted to be with Maria. But at the ending of each of her story, Manolo always ended up with Maria. Why? Not because Clarissa wanted to end up with Joaquin, but because, the way Manolo looked at Maria made Clarissa wish Joaquin looked at her that way. Then again, they were just kids.

"Fear not, senorita! Your hero has arrived!" A voice suddenly announced.

Clarissa looked up from her notebook and saw Joaquin jump out from the bushes, with fake sword in hand.

Of course he was taking to Maria. Sometimes it was hard being neglected.

"Is that so?" Maria giggled.

"How dare you interrupt a guitarrista!" Manolo said dramatically, strumming his guitar.

Joaquin playfully pointed his sword in Manolo's direction, but Manolo dodged him gracefully.

"The girl is mine!" Joaquin declared.

"Never! She is mine!" Manolo chuckled.

Maria looked at Clarissa, who smirked. Maria then stood up on the rock she was sitting on, and jumped down in between the two boys, knocking them both to the ground.

"I belong to no one!" the little girl said.

The two boys looked at each other. Joaquin then pulled himself up from the ground and walked over to where Clarissa was sitting. He cutely snatched her writing quill away, which she smiled and reached out for. But Joaquin needed his answers first.

"So, Clary," Joaquin started calling her by her nickname, "What's this story about?".

Clarissa was more then eager to respond. After she had snatched back her quill.

"Oh, in this one, you, me, Manolo and Maria save San Angel from bandits." she replied.

"Am I cool?" Joaquin asked.

"Yes, pretty cool." Clarissa giggled.

"Good. Joaquin would never be able to sleep at night, knowing he wasn't cool in a storybook." Maria joked.

"Hey, Maria. Weren't you grounded?" Clarissa asked, already knowing the answer.

"My father is overreacting. How was I supposed to know chickens don't like baths?" Maria asked, shrugging her shoulders, as a chicken ran by covered in soap bubbles.

"Don't worry. He knows a real man is protecting you tonight." Joaquin said, puffing out his chest.

"Your not even close!" Clarissa laughed, poking the boy in the chest.

"But, I have a mustache!" Joaquin said, pointing to the flap of paper stuck to his upper lip.

"Yeah, like your grandma!" Manolo snorted.

The Four Amigos laughed but their moment was interrupted. Maria's father, Manolo's father and Clarissa's grandmother called them. Maria and Manolo dashed off. Clarissa stuffed her notebook, ink jar and quill in her book bag and ran off. But not before saying 'goodbye' to Joaquin.

"Adios, Joaquin." She said as Joaquin waved.

Clarissa ran through the busy graveyard filled with villagers and eventually found her 'Abuela' Evita.

The old woman stood beside the grave of Clarissa's parents. Clarissa smiled sadly and hugged her grandmother. Her parents had died from an illness when Clarissa was very young. She lived with Evita ever since. Evita's husband had passed away long before Clarissa was born, so it was just the two of them.

"Your parents would be so proud of you, _mija._" Evita said, holding her grand daughter close. _  
><em>

Even though some said that it was wrong for a girl to read and write, Clarissa's grandma was all for her being intelligent and unique.

_"Woman are meant to do something with their lives! Not sit around the house like 'una carga de troncos!" _Evita would yell at someone who judged Clarissa, that last part meaning 'a load of logs'._  
><em>

Clarissa's Abuela was a sweet little old lady. With a back bone. The best of both worlds, Clarissa supposed.

"I miss them so much." Clarissa sighed, trying to keep back tears.

"I do too. Rosa was the greatest daughter a woman could ask for. But, they haven't truly left us. They will stay right here. Forever." Evita said, placing her hand over Clarissa's heart.

"But, what about those times when I don't want them there? When I want them here?" Clarissa asked.

"My dear, as long as we remember them, they will watch over us. They will always be here." Evita stated wisely.

Clarissa smiled. She would remember that. But what Little Clarissa didn't know was that her best friends were being bet on, right at that moment.

"...And what about Clarissa? You and I both know she has feelings for Joaquin-" La Muerte started.

"-And Joaquin obviously has no interest in the little bookworm." Xibalba cut her off.

"Things change, my love." La Muerte sighed, but happily. If Clarissa and Joaquin fell in love, Manolo and Maria would have more of a chance. Besides, no one could stop true love.

"Joaquin will not love her." Xibalba clarified.

* * *

><p>The next day, Clarissa, Manolo, Maria and Joaquin were running through the town, enjoying the sun. Maria was, of course, ahead of the others. Clarissa and the boys stopped for air, before Maria disappeared.<p>

"Doesn't... that girl.. ever.. rest?" Joaquin panted as Manolo sighed amorously.

Clarissa rolled her eyes and smirked at Manolo. But far ahead, they heard Maria yell.

"WE HAVE TO SAVE THE ANIMALS!"

"Huh?"

Manolo, Joaquin and Clarissa ran to find Maria standing in front of a butcher's shop.

"Oh... I don't know, Maria. That butcher has to sell meat or he'll go hungry. We can't just..."

"Come on, Clary. These animals don't deserve to die! We have to do this." Maria cut off Clarissa raising her wooden sword to bust the corral lock.

"Wait, Maria! Don't-" Joaquin and Clarissa started, but it was too late.

Maria had broken the lock and the gate door swung open. The animals immediately stampeded out, like a herd of bulls! The animals all headed downtown with Maria riding on one of the pigs, Manolo pulled along, holding a pigs tail, and Clarissa and Joaquin were running along, trying to keep up.

"FREEEEEEDDDDOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!" Maria hollered.

The children and animals had reached the town's square, where General Posada was trying to recruit soldiers.

"Maria! what have you done now!?" The general shouted at his daughter.

"Freedom is coming through!" Maria replied.

Just then, Manolo lost his grip on the pig's tail and fell down in front of Clarissa and Joaquin, who both tripped over him. Clarissa got up and ran to find Maria. The little brunette ran through the chaos, trying to find her friend. When she did, she found Maria hiding behind a building.

"Nice hiding place!" Clarissa commented.

"Thanks." Maria replied.

"I know that I really want to say 'I told you so' but, now would be a bit of a bad time." Clarissa giggled.

"Papa is going to kill me!" Maria groaned.

"Hey, you didn't know the animals would stampede. And I'm sure he wouldn't kill you." Clarissa stated calmly.

"MARIA!" General Posada's scream echoed through the town.

"Uh-oh." Maria and Clarissa sighed at the same time.

The two girls returned to the town square to see Joaquin, Manolo and a steamed General Posada staring at them. Joaquin had a new air to him, more confidant and strong. Whatever it was, Clarissa didn't like it.

"I'm sorry, Papa. It's just that I-" Maria stopped as she noticed Manolo's guitar was on the ground, broken.

"Manolo's guitar!"

Clarissa gasped.

"Maria!" Her father was as red as a tomato, "This rebellious nonsense ends now! You are going to become a proper lady!"

"Why?" Maria asked.

"Because I said so. I'm sending you to Spain. The sisters at the Convent of the Perpetual Flame of Purity will straighten you out." General Posada yelled at his daughter.

"WHAT!?" Clarissa, Manolo and Joaquin exclaimed.

"But Papa-"

"No, it is decided! Now go home!" General Posada screamed.

Maria started to cry and ran off, holding Manolo's guitar. Clarissa went to go follow Maria, but Evita stopped her.

"Let her go, _chica._" Evita said.

"But, Abuela! He can't take Maria away!" Clarissa argued.

But, Clarissa knew there was no point of arguing. The General's mind was made up. Maria was being sent away and she could do a thing. The Four Amigos would be no more.

* * *

><p>The day of Maria's departure came too soon. Clarissa fought back tears as she clutched her gift to Maria in her hands. After Maria had finished saying 'goodbye' to her father, she turned to Clarissa, Manolo and Joaquin.<p>

"I'm gonna miss you guys." she told them.

"We'll be here waiting." Joaquin said.

"For as long as it takes." Manolo added.

Maria hugged Clarissa and turned to Manolo.

"Don't ever stop playing, okay?" She said, before hugging him.

Then she turned to Clarissa.

"And you, never stop writing. People really like your stories." Maria chuckled sadly.

And finally she turned to Joaquin. "And you, never stop fighting for what's right."

"I got you a present." Clarissa spoke up and placed a small blue bracelet in Maria's hand. She then showed Maria her wrist, she had a matching bracelet "Now, when you wear it, you can remember that I'm wearing the same bracelet. I'm just an ocean away." Clarissa explained, very poetically.

Maria pulled her friend into another hug. There was a little moment there, where Manolo gave Maria a baby pig, Joaquin was being Joaquin and forgot to give Maria and gift all together, and right before the whistle of the train blew, Maria handed Manolo a giant box.

"I-I got to go." Maria said, sounding near tears.

Tears formed in Clarissa's eyes as she knew Maria was probably in a lot more pain than her. Once Maria had boarded the train, Clarissa turned to Manolo.

"What did she give you?" the little blue eyed girl asked him.

Manolo opened the box and smiled a little. In the box was a guitar much bigger than Manolo's old one. And on the side, Maria had carved "Always play from the heart" on it. If this was an ordinary day, Clarissa would have squealed. But, today her heart just wasn't in it. The train finally started to pull away. But Manolo started to chase after it. Joaquin and Clarissa looked at each other and chased after him.

"Maria! When you get back, I will play for you!" Manolo called out.

"And I will fight for you!" Joaquin added.

Clarissa rolled her eyes at the cuteness of Joaquin and Manolo, but added her bit to the pot.

"And I will write for you!" Clarissa yelled.

Clarissa knew Maria was smiling. And in while, she'd see that smile again. But it would be a long while before she would. And that my friends is how our story starts.

_**I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY THAT I HAVN'T POSTED IN A WHILE! I promise I will post more often! I SWEAR! Hope you enjoyed! Until I see you again my lovelies. ~The Ocean'sMage12**_


	3. AN: So sorry :(

_**Hey guys, I'm sorry if you thought this was a chapter... I have some bad news. Due to my severe writer's block and lack of confidence in this story, I'm not writing it anymore... Don't worry, though! I WILL be continuing Girl Meets Devil Child. I'm just not doing this one anymore. I'm really sorry, guys. I know you liked it... It's just that school has been really hard lately and I just can't do two stories at once anymore. I actually was never fully on board with this story in the first place. I just... don't want to write it anymore... Again, I'm SO SO sorry. You guys are so supportive and I really don't deserve your kindness. I will be updating soon on GMDC and again, SO SORRY about this. I hope you still stay with me, because you really are the best followers in the world and I love you all! I'm so sorry guys. **_

_**~ TheOcean'sMage12**_


	4. EXCITING NEWS!

_**Hey, beautiful readers... Are you all still there? Well, I hope so because I have very exciting news to tell you... After I finish Girl Meets Devil Child, I WILL be continuing Clarissa's Tale! You all inspired me to continue writing, so, thank you from the bottom of my heart! You stopped me from making a huge mistake of not continuing. Once again, thank you! So... in honour of this news, I'm going to post the next chapter of this story rather soon, but the rest of the story will be after I finish GMDC. So, yes. I will post the next chapter soon and then after I finish GMDC, I WlLL continue this story! The only downside to this is that you'll have to wait a bit for it. But don't worry, it'll be SO worth it! I promise. That's all for now. Tata! **_

_**~Ocean'sMage12**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer:**__** I don't own The Book Of Life! I'm just a fan! Enjoy!**_

As the years went by, Clarissa hardly ever saw the boys. With Manolo's father working him day and night to become a bull fighter, and with Joaquin training under General Posada's guidance. From what Manolo had told her, Joaquin had saved the general's life on the day it was decided Maria would leave. Clarissa would usually watch him train from afar and the more she watched, the more she wondered. Where had this new skill come from? All of a sudden, Joaquin had... superhuman-like talents that confused Clarissa. Along with his new skill came a new attitude. Joaquin had a very egotistic, proud, selfish flare to him. Whenever she and Manolo tried to strike up a game, Joaquin declared he had no time for such sillyness, like he was too good for them. All and all, Clarissa missed the old Joaquin. The silly, funny, kind, _old Joaquin. _After becoming the top of General Posada's league, Joaquin left San Angel to share his _abilities _with the world. Manolo and Clarissa still spoke to each other, when Manolo wasn't training his butt off or too exhausted to speak. Come to think about it, Manolo and Clarissa didn't talk much. Anyways, her Abuela was still living, _by the way_, and still packed a punch. So, what had Clarissa been up to all these years? Well, her writing passion never dwindled. In fact, the nuns at the orphanage constantly were asking her to read to the children, which Clarissa was always happy to do. Looks-wise, she had out grown her little form into something more mature. She wore a long blue skirt, a white tank top, and her long wavy brown hair was always held down, so it reached her waist. But, her eyes had never changed. They were still the same deep ocean blue that never lost their sparkle. Even through the hard times that passed over the lonely years, Clarissa's eyes always sparkled. The one thing Clarissa missed more than anything, was her friends. When she was younger, when ever she was sad, Manolo and Joaquin would always make her laugh. Maria and her always spoke like sisters. But now, that was all gone. And all Clarissa could do, was wait for the fateful day when her best friend Maria would come home. Then _something_ would be right. One day, many years after the animal incident, Clarissa was telling her latest story to the children of the orphanage. She sat on one of the beds, with some kids beside her and some sitting on the floor. No one dared to speak and they all payed very close attention. This story in particular, was about a mute, yet brave hero who saved people everywhere he went. Nothing _especially _interesting to Clarissa, but then again, the children loved her stories, no matter how dramatic or emotional they were.

_"'Our daughter! She's still inside!' The ash covered mother cried._

_Lightning flashed as The Great Enrique jumped off of his mighty steed and ran into the burning house." _Clarissa told the children, who were trembling with anxiousness.

_Grey clouds of smoke poured from the burning lump of a house, as the roof suddenly collapsed._

_"NOOO!" The couple screamed._

All the children gasped.

"... So... Enrique... died?" Lucia, a little girl with caramel coloured hair, breathed, looking on the verge of tears.

"NO! THAT CAN'T BE IT!" Pablo, a dark haired little boy shrieked.

Pablo was shushed by Violetta and Raquel, who had noticed Clarissa smiling mysteriously.

_"All of a sudden," _Clarissa continued, grasping the attention of all the children.

_The Great Enrique rose from the rubble, with the unconscious, but alive daughter in his arms. _

_'Valentina!' The father and mother shouted in unison. _

_Enrique handed the little girl to her over-joyed parents, who covered her with hugs and kisses._

_'Muchas Gracias, senor! Muchas Gracias!" The father thanked Enrique, who simply smiled lightly._

"The End." Clarissa stated, smiling.

Most of the children cheered and clapped, while others sat there, gapping with wide eyes.

"Wow, Clarissa! That was such a great story!" Violetta squealed.

"Yeah! You're the best storyteller in the entire world!" Raquel agreed, twirling all around.

Clarissa blushed. She never understood why such sweet children were abandoned by their parents.

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it." Clarissa smiled at the little girls.

"The Great Roberto's so awesome!" Miguel, one of the boys, cried out.

"Yeah! He can take on 10 bad guys at once, save families from fires AND get the girl, in ONE story!" Pablo agreed, jumping up onto one of the beds.

The room full of children broke out into a chatter of agreement and soon, the whole sleeping wing was filled with the sound of talking and laughing children. Clarissa smiled as she tried to quiet them down. But, it was futile. The children were just too excited over the story. Don't get Clarissa wrong, she _loved_ the fact that they loved her stories. That was the whole reason _why_ she wrote. To make people happy and make them smile and laugh. It was just that Clarissa didn't think that the nuns would enjoy having a room full of screaming children to calm down. Suddenly, a great silence shot through the room. Clarissa looked around to see that the children were quiet. What had just happened? Clarissa looked up to see Sister Nina standing the doorway.

_'Good job, Clarissa. You spoke too soon.' _Clarissa scolded herself sarcastically.

But, Sister Nina didn't look angry. In fact, she looked over-joyed. The nun strode into the room and over to the group. Even though Sister Nina's expression was happy, the children looked sort of nervous. Would she punish them for being too loud? Then, the nun spoke.

"So, did everyone enjoy your time with Clarissa?" The elder woman asked.

The children all cheered and clapped, but stopped soon after. If Sister Nina _was_ angry, they didn't want to be punished further. But, Sister Nina just smiled even more.

"That's excellant! _Muy excelente!_" Sister Nina stated.

The children all sighed in relief. They weren't going to be punished.

"Unfortunately, it's time for Clarissa to go. It's lunchtime for all of you." The nun then added.

The children all awed in unison. But, Clarissa spoke up.

"Hey, don't worry,_ninos_! If you all promise to be good, I can come back next week!" Clarissa told the children.

Instantly, every child's face lit up with joy.

"Okay!" They all replied happily and practically dragged Sister Nina to the dinning hall. Not being able to give the young woman a proper thanks, Sister Nina looked at Clarissa gratefully and mouthed the words 'gracias' to her. Clarissa smiled widely and mouthed 'your welcome' back as a reply. Sister Nina nodded and with that, she and the children had left. Clarissa, who was still sitting on the bed, sighed happily. Man, did she love her job. But, boy, was it tiring. Still, no matter what, Clarissa was a writer and loved her job. After pausing for a few moments to relax, Clarissa reached for her trusty book bag (another thing Clarissa hadn't out grown over the years) that was laying next to her on the bed. It contained her quill, ink pot and some new parchment. That was all she ever needed. Securing her book bag on her back, Clarissa stood up and turned to go home and get some well-deserved sleep. But, before she could take one single step, something stopped her. Well, actually, more like _someone_.

"That was a good story." They said.

Clarissa froze in her spot with terror. Who was this person? But, remembering her manners, Clarissa spoke.

"T-thank you. G-gracias." She stuttered.

Clarissa was afraid. What if this person was here to hurt her? What if this person was a bandit? What if this person was secretly a wizard who wanted to kidnap her and take her to his magical castle in the sky and keep her as a slave, and make her jump at his every need, like brushing his teeth, washing his hair and giving him manicures and pedicures every Monday? Okay, maybe all this writing was making her a bit too dramatic. But, back to the task.

"W-what do you want here?" Clarissa asked the person, who seemed to be hiding in the shadows at the corner of the room.

The person laughed.

"Why, to see my old friend of course." They replied simply.

Clarissa furrowed her eyebrows.

"Should I know you?" The brunette demanded crossly.

"I am offended. Remember? You promised to write for me when I got back. And for goodness sake, stop shaking like a chihuahua. Same old, Clary." The person chuckled, muttering that last part.

Clarissa gasped.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Clarissa demanded, dropping her bag (safely on the bed. Come on, do you really think she'd let her most prized possesion even touch the floor?) and raising her clenched fists in a defence position.

The person scoffed.

"Oh, put those things away. You'd never hurt a fly." They teased.

Clarissa had just lost her patience. She wasn't up for these games anymore.

"Come out!" She shouted.

"Okay! Sheesh." The unknown teaser yelled back.

Finally revealing themself, the person slowly stepped out of the shadows. But, when the person was completely out, Clarissa gasped louder than she ever had before. Standing right before her, in the flesh, was...

"Maria?"

"Hey, Clary." Maria smiled.

Boy, how Maria had changed. Clarissa almost didn't recognize her voice. But, Maria too had out grown her little figure, she wore a red skirt and white blouse, her brown hair had grown out and was worn in a ponytail. But, also like Clarissa, her eyes hadn't changed. They were still that feisty and determined chocolate brown. Another thing that hadn't changed, was that on Maria's left wrist was the little blue yarn friendship bracelet that Clarissa had given her on that dreadful day. It was tied tightly as if Maria had never taken it off. But, something lingered with Clarissa. Had Maria been changed too much over the years? Was she now some lady-like stiff? Had Maria lost her fire? And would she- dare Clarissa say- not even give her a hug? Clarissa felt stupid for thinking of this. But, it could be a possibility.

"Um... is it lady-like to hug?" Clarissa asked, feeling even more stupid.

But, Maria just rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Come on, do you know me at all? Of course I'll hug you, lady-like or not!" Maria laughed.

And with those words, Clarissa lunged at her best friend and hugged her tighter than she ever had before. Maria returned the hug, Weak from all the emotion, Maria and Clarissa slumped down to the floor. But they never let go of each other. Not once. So, for the next two minutes, the two girls just sat there, hugging and hugging. After the hug, Clarissa and Maria got off the floor.

"How did you find me?" Clarissa asked excitedly.

"Well, I tried your house, but your grandmother said that you were here. So, the nuns let me in through the back. Besides, I had to come here anyways. I'm going to be helping out around this place." Maria replied.

Clarissa grew excited.

"That's great! I read here all the time!" Clarissa squealed.

They hugged again. This one was shorter but, just as sweet. And once it was over, Maria spoke.

"Lets get out of here. We have _a lot_ to catch up on. " Maria suggested.

Clarissa nodded in agreement, but not before looping her arm through Maria's, not intending on letting her go again. The two left the orphanage and decided to take a walk around town. They told each other EVERYTHING that had happened in all this time, not leaving out one little detail. Clarissa told her of Joaquin's leave, Manolo's training (which seemed to disappoint Maria) and of her loneliness. And Maria told her of all of her adventures in Spain.

"Wow. That's great, Maria. Much better than what was happening with me." Clarissa gaped, sighing the last part.

Maria's eyes softened.

"I'm sorry about Joaquin. You always had a thing for him." The young woman said.

WHAT? How had Maria known? Had Clarissa The Matchmaker, just been outmatched?

"How did you know?" Clarissa asked, much calmer than in her head.

"It was SO obvious! All those stories, the way you looked at him? I just knew." Maria scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Clarissa blushed pink. Alas, even after all of this drama, her feelings for Joaquin never stopped.

"Oh, yeah? Says the person who was practically flirting with Manolo at age seven! _'Always play from the heart. Love Maria.'_ Really?Kissy-kissy smoochy smooch." Clarissa teased.

But, Maria didn't respond. She lowered her head sadly. This was so un-Maria. Normally, she would have fired some sarcastic comment back at Clarissa. But this? What was this?

"Hey, what's wrong?" Clarissa asked, kindly.

"It's just... Manolo knows how much I love animals... Why would he become a bull fighter? You kill bulls in bull fighting. This isn't him. He's better than that." Maria whispered, sadly.

Clarissa raised her eyebrows. She had never thought of bull fighting that way. She had never been the advocate for animals in 'The Four Amigos', but Maria had and still was. Then, Clarissa realized that killing animals for entertainment _was_ wrong. It wasn't right. But, she knew that Manolo hadn't voluntarily done this. He just wanted to impress his father and family. But, maybe Maria would realize this at the bull fight today. They _were_ all in attendance to go.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. I promise." Clarissa told Maria.

But, before Clarissa could comfort anymore, she realized they were going to be late.

"We better get going." Clarissa stated.

Maria sighed, and slowly agreed. So, the girls started to head off to the arena. But, suddenly, Maria stopped Clarissa.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She said excitedly as she reached into her purse that had been around her shoulder.

Maria pulled out two fans. One for Clarissa and one for herself.

"I got you this in Spain." Maria told Clarissa.

"*Gasp* Thank you!" Clarissa gasped and hugged Maria, then examined the purple and gold fan.

When Clarissa looked back up, Maria was smirking.

"Follow my lead. We're going to make an entrance." Maria said sneakily.

Clarissa smiled. This was going to be good...

**_Hey! Did you like? Review! Read my last note if you already haven't, this is the last chapter until GMDC is over. Okay? Bye! Thanks, guys!_**

**_~Ocean'sMage12_**


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